Know Your Own Game When Buying That Next Ball Bowling

February 10, 1985|by JIM KRUPKA, Sunday Call-Chronicle

As a paleontologist makes digs into the earth's rock to look for fossils that will enable him to date an age and find out what existed or went on during a specific time frame. If, in a few thousand years, these scientists were digging for information about the game of bowling, the best find would be a locker room filled with bowling equipment.

The ball market at the moment is flooded with equipment. Each ball presented to the public hits harder, hooks more or less than its predecessor and carries with it the potential to make improvements in your game.

One can easily be overwhelmed today walking into a pro shop because of the large selection. But what, other than price, separates one ball from another? In a very general way, balls fall into three very general composition categories: rubber, plastics and, more recently, urethanes. Some further analysis shows that the balls can then be classified according to their hardness. For example there are soft and hard urethane balls.

During the early stages of the game of bowling, the rubber ball was the thing to have. In particular, hard rubber was good because of the hooking condition that was prevalent due to the use of shellac. Seldom did average bowlers use more than one piece of equipment; adjusting was the most common method to find the pocket.

Even though the lane coating shifted from shellac to lacquer, the rubber ball was still the thing to throw for a time . . . until the plastic ball came into existence. Plastic balls offered the players the first real variety. The balls were made either soft or hard and in 1973 Don McCune pushed the experimentation ahead by soaking balls in alcohol to make them hook.

In the late '70s and early '80s, urethane became the thing to have. On the lanes and in your hand, bowling undergoes its most drastic change in scoring ability of the players. Urethane permits most people to throw stronger balls but, since their reaction on certain conditions can be radical, the market expands.

With the assistance of Larry Lichstein's Ball Reaction Guide, here are a few short paragraphs on the types of equipment available:

- The AMF corporation may have the strongest selection available. They offer three urethane balls covering all areas of hardness. Initially, they came out with a Black Angle useful on most lane conditions. Later they developed the Grey Angle and Gold Angle to combat hooking and tight conditions, respectively. AMF still markets a hard rubber 3-Dot for use by the average kegler.

- Brunswick Corporation was one of the first to work with a soft rubber ball presenting the popular LT-48. They have now also jumped into the urethane game with the soft Edge and a harder urethane Edge II. Watch for the new Brunswick GTB medium-range urethane ball.

- In the '70s, and up to the present, Columbia has been consistent in producing a solid ball. Over the last decade the Yellow Dot, plastic, was one of the top scoring balls on tour and in league play. This is still one of the best balls that the average player can get for his dollar. Not one to be left behind in the ball race, Columbia has now added a U-Dot, urethane, to their arsenal. For hooking lanes their White Dot is still available. It is medium- hard plastic.

- The biggest splash on the ball market would have to be the ever popular Hammer by FABall. The ball attracted as much attention for its name as it did for its scoring power. The ball featured a thicker cover, among other differences, separating it from the other urethanes. The company has since come up with - you guessed it - the Nail, a hard ball, to complement the Hammer.

- Ebonite and Roto Star are the last of the manufacturers and each offers a line of balls ranging in hardness and composition. Ebonite has a pair of soft urethanes, Gyro I and Mag 12, with the major differences being the core and the way the ball reacts. Roto Star has held its ground with the RC-5 and Roto-Grip while adding the UC-2 and Star Tra-Ker to its urethane line. One final mention is that Star Trak is still offering the bowlers yet another choice with their Force 10 soft urethane ball. It is best for medium to oily lanes.

It is, of course, difficult to cover each and every aspect of all the balls mentioned herein. Most importantly, one should know his own game and the conditions that he/she bowls on. Club bowlers, for the most part, can stay away from the hooking equipment and look to something that is going to give them a longer reaction.

Cost is also a factor. Most of the urethanes are well into a hundred dollars and could be an expensive proposition for the average bowler. The ball can make a difference in your game, but not more than perhaps a little practice or a good bowling publication.

The best thing to do is to discuss all the options with the pro shop operator who takes care of your balls. Ask questions; they are willing to share their knowledge with you.